WK2 World Health Organization Strategic Planning & Healthcare Finance Paper

Please respond to the following discussion posts and cite 1 scholarly reference for each response.

Sarah W. Posted Critical issues

The critical issue regarding Health Care Organizations that I would like to discuss, integration, has affected me personally in recent weeks. Integrated care in theory, is an ideal model where the patient’s wellness is the focus and teams of providers coordinate together for a seamless transaction of chart history and record sharing to provide all-inclusive, in-network health related services (World Health Organization [WHO], 2016). What I would like to attest to is that though the spirit of the system exists, the system itself is flawed.
On May 17th, my fiancé tore his medial gastrocnemius muscle and I took him to St. Petersburg General Hospital Emergency Department (our personal preference and in-network with our insurance provider) for evaluation where there was no wait-time; he was evaluated, assessed, diagnosed on paper as having an Achilles rupture, and sent home with a referral to follow-up with an Orthopedic specialist who SPGen recommended. My complaints are not about that visit to the ER.
At home over the weekend, we researched the specific orthopedic doctor to whom he was referred by means of an integrated care model and found the physician to have horrible reviews. So ultimately we did our own research finding an orthopedist who came highly recommended but was outside of the SPGen integrated care model yet still within our insurance network. I had to do all the legwork of driving across town to retrieve and transfer diagnostic test results.
This is merely a briefing about a bigger picture, and ultimately I believe that having an understanding about the way the healthcare system operates and recognizing that in-network integration is not all inclusive between service providers and insurance providers is the key problem plaguing patients today. It worries me to wonder if an elderly patient, alone in their quest, would have found the same results.
References:
World Health Organization. (2016). Integrated care models: an overview. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/322475/Integrated-care-models-overview.pdf

Posted by Carla D Critical issues

One of the critical issues facing healthcare organizations (HCOs) is the concept of culture transformation. Today’s patient community has more healthcare options available and is more likely to choose a provider that meets their personal wants as well as their health needs. With the increased emphasis on patient satisfaction scores, HCOs must focus on creating an organizational culture that builds employee and customer satisfaction (Cwiek, Davis, Dubow, Harris, & Stuecher, 2018). Crafting a corporate culture which promotes the organization’s values, mission, and team member support leads to a more engaged, content, and productive workforce, which in turn leads to greater customer satisfaction.

A strong internal culture which values its employees and supports their career and personal growth leads to improved staff loyalty and retention (and the lower overhead associated with such); a more satisfied staff translates into better productivity and job performance. A more skilled, positive workforce, in turn provides better care and customer service to their patients (“Importance of organization culture”, 2019). Another benefit of a strong organizational culture is its perception by the public. The more positive and well-known the HCO’s reputation and clinical focus by the community, the more business and profit generated.

References

Cwiek, K. A., Davis, C. N., Dubow, M. J., Harris, J. M., & Stuecher, S. (2018). Phase 1: Analyzing the environment. In J. M. Harris (Ed.), Healthcare strategic planning (4th ed.) (pp. 105 – 134). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.

Importance of organization culture. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.managementstudyguide.com/importance-of-organization-culture.html

Posted by Laketta D Creative Data

Understanding the potential impact of a Health care organization’s history lends a helping hand to strategic planning process for future success and growth. While historical data provides a roadmap of where the company has been it does not limit the path the organization should look forward to but hopefully will provide enough information on how to improve the quality of service (Cwiek, Davis, Dubow & Stuecher, 2018) One of the ways in which this information can be tracked is by using reviewing soft data such as annual reports. Annual reports are reflective of an HCO’s progress which shows the financial stability of an organization, if the company has remained in line with the mission and vision for expected growth (McGurgan, 2019). Another way to provide data related to the HCO’s performance is by surveying public vendors. Obtaining direct feedback from consumers of a product or service allow the provider to measure the response with the desired outcome or expectations of satisfaction with a service{Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2019). Although all responses won’t be the same, the purpose of using this type of hard data is to determine areas of improvement which may have an impact on the quality of service being provided to the consumer which should have a governing effect on procedural changes if necessary.

References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, (2019). Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov/cahps/about-cahps/index.html

Cwiek, K., Davis, C., Dubow, M. & Stuecher, S., (2018) Healthcare strategic planning (4^th ed.) Health Administration Press. Chicago, IL

McGurgan, Holly. (n.d.). What Is the Purpose of Company Annual Reports? Small Business – Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/purpose-company-ann…

Posted by Mindy B Hard and soft

Data collection is an essential part of a healthcare professionals job. They collect data that is considered the hard data or the information that is obtained from testing but they also have to collect that data that is not tangible like documenting how a patient states that they feel. This would be considered soft data or data that is objective. Creative data gathering for planning also has an element of hard data and soft data that play a vital role in the planning process. One type of hard data that can be looked at is Hospital Associations (Harris, 2018). Hard data can be in the form of charts, graphs, factual and tangible information that people can look at and extract information from (Objectivity, 2017). Hospital associations can assist in the planning of the future direction of the organization and other beneficial information like accreditations and professional organizations that a facility participates. Consumers will go to websites, a type of soft data, to review these associations and memberships to make an educated decision on where they would like to receive their services n(Harris, 2018). Without soft data there could potential for error in the decision and planning process (Objectivity, 2017). Even though hard data is based more on fact and evidence, soft data plays a major role in the consumer planning today. Patients go directly to websites such as Healthgrades and RateMD to read other consumer reviews or opinions. This is soft data that can be interpreted or just a microscopic view of one organization but the opinion is highly valued to a lot of people that are doing their data collection for care. There may have been a time that hard data was the only data utilized in the decision or planning process but the times have changed. In my opinion, with the addition of the internet and social media, soft data plays a major role in the decision and planning making process. Consumers utilize reviews for everything from movies to healthcare. It is important for an organization the not only take a look at hard data but to look at the soft data equally as much.

Resources:

Harris, J.M., (2018). Analyzing the environment. In J.M. Harris (Ed.), Healthcare Strategic Planning (pp. 105-137). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.

Objectivity. (2015). Hard Data vs. Soft Data. Retrieved from https://www.objectivity.com/hard-data-vs-soft-data/

Healthcare finance week 2 response

Posted by Rachel S Real World

With that healthcare reform the main issue is to address the quality of care and the high cost of healthcare, while providing patient satisfaction in this ever changing and advancing field (Rivers, 2008). Traditionally the advancement of technology in healthcare has played a huge role in many aspects of service and quality which has helped reduce many costs of healthcare, yet has yielded higher production cost onto patients. With the rising cost of healthcare bought on the focus for both public and private insurance to be offered to everyone, and incentives to carry insurance, along with affordable coverage options. Although with insurance companies physicians compete for affiliations with carriers, and establish contracts with third-parties to have the featured benefits and services for patients. Healthcare organizations also do the same to receive better technology and equipment, while providing the same services to patients for lower costs and recruiting the best physicians and staff (Rivers, 2008). Since hospitals are based off the contracts they have with insurance companies, they are very aggressive when it comes to securing inclusive insures to control cost effectively for managing patient flow, retaining enough business to remain operational, and forcing the providers to stay within quality procedures and network guidelines.

Managed care plans are one of the most important parts of healthcare, that keeps both hospitals and offices reimburses and running. They define the quality of what patient care should be, while populating constrains on technology, resources, and consumer circumstances. The patients’ satisfaction is no longer measured by the healthcare organization, but based off of the attributes of the HMO’s and PPO’s that partner with the physicians for affiliation and perceive the measured outcomes and values (Rivers, 2008).

Rivers, P. A., & Glover, S. H. (2008). Health care competition, strategic mission, and patient satisfaction: research model and propositions. Journal of health organization and management, 22(6), 627–641. Doi:10.1108/14777260810916597

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Order now and Get 10% Discount. Discount Code - "Newclient"!